Fire Line Installation at MJC

Fire Line installation is well underway for the Michael Jordan Collision Center project in Durham, North Carolina. Since we are converting a 30+ year old warehouse into a body shop, the building is required to sprinklered (it is not sprinklered, currently). Therefore, we have to run an 8″/12″ water pipe from the road to the building.

Abandoned tap in the way.

Excavation underway at new fire line tap location

Fire line installation underway

Ductile iron pipe cut with quickie saw

Exploratory digging on Monday discovered a couple of things. First, the water line is not where we thought it was based on surveying and utility locators. It was several feet away. Second, there was a preexisting, abandoned tap where we were supposed to make our tap. After much discussion with the City Public Works Department, we have a strategy in place to shutoff water next week so we can remove the existing tap and install the new one.

In the meantime, Public Utilities, the contractor installing the fire line, moved down the driveway so they could still make progress.

In the front of the building, we have very little control over storm water that comes on to our site from the adjacent property, and very few options available to deal with it. We have constructed a sidewall to the ADA entrance ramp and installed a storm trough to direct water away from the accessible route. Today, the rain was able to give us a successful demonstration of the trough.

Inside the building, work continues on the paint booths and prep deck.

Prep deck installation underway

Unfortunately for our progress, this week was a slow week as far as interior construction was concerned. Our fire protection permit continues to be somewhere in the pile of drawings in the office of the Durham Fire Marshal.

This project is being provided to the Owner via the Architect-led Design-Build process with Gontram Architecture.